Writing
by Muted Trumpet
Summary: In which Zuko tries to teach his one year old how to write her name.


There have been many instances when Zuko had to play teacher. In Aang's case, he was the firebending master who could not muster the skill he had wanted so badly to pass on to his student, thus the reason they had to dance (which Zuko particularly disliked) in order to learn or in Zuko's case, relearn the art of firebending.

In Sokka's case, he had to teach the other man how to propose successfully as he had done so earlier with Sokka's younger sister, Katara. In Toph's case, well let's just say he had to teach her to see the world in a new perspective; during their search for the Avatar he had to teach her that some field trips sucked even if you're alone with a hot prince in the middle of a nice, quiet beach.

Now, Zuko finds himself being a teacher again, accept his student was not someone with an arrow on his forehead, nor was it a Southern Water Tribe man with a sense of humor that could make the dead laugh themselves alive. His student was no earthbender that needed therapy due to a traumatic childhood. This student hadn't had a traumatic childhood, he and Katara had made sure of that. Now his dear student was sprawled on the floor with ink on her face, smiling with her two little front teeth showing.

Zuko shakes his head. This was going to be a lot harder than he had thought. He walks toward his baby girl and sits down next to her lying form.

"Mama!" she exclaims and reaches for him. He narrows his eyes slightly. Katara was too domineering a mother. She used every waking moment to teach their baby how to say 'Mama' just so their daughter would say 'Mama' first instead of anything else.

"Papa", Zuko punctuates his word with exaggerated mouthing.

"MUMMY!" she screams in protest and reaches for his short hair. He pulls away in time and grabs her chubby hand in his larger one. He rolls his eyes. Zuko knew things were going to be messy and so he had decided that a casual suit would be much more appropriate than his elaborate silken gowns.

Zuko is here on a mission and he isn't about to fail. And so with great gentleness, he holds his little girl's hand in his and gently dabs her brush into the ink. Slowly he makes the first stroke and then the second. But by the time he tries for the third she has struggled free from his grasp and has touched the brush to his top. Zuko groans.

Out of all the lessons in the world why couldn't he teach her something else? He would teach her waterbending or earthbending or how to go into the Avatar state for crying out loud. But noooooo, he had to teach her how to write her name. Zuko feels like being the baby now that she has made sure that his face is nicely decorated with her black ink.

"Akira", Zuko says as gently as he can and holds her hand in his again "you have to learn how to write your name or else your classmates will laugh at you when you go to kindergarten", he explains and goes for another try at the first stroke. She is willing to listen at first but then bursts out of his grasp and runs around the room laughing out loud as her father, clearly flustered tries to catch her.

"Akira!" he yells as she runs faster and giggles louder. "Akira, come here!" he screams and that is when he slips on the ink that had dirtied the floor, and is thankful that he lands on his butt. His little girl stops running and jumps with joy.

"Daddy fall down!" she says with much excitement and giggles some more. Zuko ceases this opportunity and grabs her. Now he holds her hand and tries to write the first character to her name. He is successful and then he moves on to the next character which ends up on his face instead of on the large sheets of paper. He cannot bring himself to care and then he goes to the third and thankfully the final character which is successfully painted on his other cheek.

Zuko looks at the mirror and sees a pregnant Katara laughing like she's just seen the world's best comedy.

"Mummy!" their little girl yells as she rushes into the arms of her mother.

"You know what Zuko? I think I prefer you this way", Katara jokes and all Zuko can do is blow his fringe out of the way and give her a dry laugh.

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**A/N: Please review!**


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